Flight Attendant Union Statement on U.S. Grounding of 737 MAX

Washington, D.C. (March 13, 2019) — The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) President Sara Nelson released the following statement after the U.S. grounding of the 737 MAX fleet:

“It is good news that the 737 MAX will now get the focus it needs to address the concerns of undetermined safety issues. We must focus on the needed fix, rather than the uncertainty of flight.

“Lives must come first always. But a brand is at stake as well. And that brand is not just Boeing. It's America. What America means in international aviation and by extension in the larger world more generally—that we set the standard for safety, competence, and honesty in governance of aviation.

“We must be leaders in safety always. We thank all who spoke up. Aviation workers will always stand up for safety. We have that ability and right through our union. It's important to recognize the critical role unions play in raising issues, demanding the best of ourselves, of management , and government.”

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The Association of Flight Attendants is the Flight Attendant union. Focused 100 percent on Flight Attendant issues, AFA has been the leader in advancing the Flight Attendant profession for 73 years. Serving as the voice for Flight Attendants in the workplace, in the aviation industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill, AFA has transformed the Flight Attendant profession by raising wages, benefits and working conditions. Nearly 50,000 Flight Attendants come together to form AFA, part of the 700,000-member strong Communications Workers of America (CWA), AFL-CIO. Visit us at www.afacwa.org.